Salesman&#39;s trunk-attached display-rack.



No. 792,793. PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

' J. RICHMOND.

SA LESMANS TRUNK ATTACHED DISPLAY RACK. APPLICATION FILED DBO. 3,1904.

AiLwm m f WITNESSES MM [NVEZV T OR. ,/6 gm RL bKmM/Lm-O mMvw m A T T OR/VE 1K NrrEn STATES Patented. June 20, 1905 PATENT Fries.

JAMES RICHMOND, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,793, dated J line 20, 1905.

Application filed December 3, 1904, Serial No. 235,386.

19 (Ll/Z whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES RICHMOND, a citi- Zen of the United States. residing at St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Salesmens Trunk-Attached Display-Racks; and I dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my improvements is to provide a rack adjustable to the size of any trunk and that will occupy very little space when packed therein, that when the lid of the trunk is raised may be quickly set up and clamped to the trunk or its tray, and on which sample hats carried in the trunk may be displayed.

This device is especially adapted to the use of salesmen who travel and solicit orders for jobbing-houses and who in soliciting in the small cities and towns or villages seldom have any accommodation that will permit them to display their samples advantageously and in such manner that the tradesman can at one glance see the various styles and make comparison as to which is particularly suited to 'to his custom.

I attain my object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I is a perspective view of an open trunk, a display-rack having its standards clamped in the ends of the trunk-tray, the hats on the rack illustrating the manner in which they may be supported on the rack. Fig. 2 is a detail of a standard and a metal clasp pivoted thereon with sections of displayrods held in the grip of the ends of said clasp. Fig. 8 is a section of the end of the trunktray with a clamp attached thereto. Fig. 4 is a side view of a clamp with a standard therein broken away. Fig. 5 is a side view of a standard with a clasp pivoted thereto, the dotted lines indicating the position of the clasp when folded to facilitate its being packed in the trunk. Fig. 6 is a section of displayrods, showing the manner in which they are jointed together; and Fig. 7shows two lengths of display-rods, one with two joints, the other with one joint.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several views.

In the drawings, A represents a trunk of the kind ordinarily used by traveling salesmen, A the lid of the trunk, and B the tray.

0 C represent clamps preferably attached to the inside of the ends of the tray, although they may be attached to the ends of the trunk instead. D D are standards carried by said clamps; E E, a plurality of pairs of rods, one pair above another, adapted to support the sample articles when the goods have been re moved from the trunk and are on display. These rods may be made in as many telescopable sections as desired, each section preferably nearly the length of the trunk in which used.

H H are spring-metal clasps, preferably steel. They are fastened on standards D I) and may be pivoted thereon so as to permit their being folded vertically with their standards when the rack is packed in the trunk or to'he turned to any desired angle when in use, as illustrated in Fig. 5. Each end of each clasp, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, is provided with two grips K K. These grips curve outward and then inward toward each other, but at the ends flare outward. Being of spring metal, they are thus suited to allow rods E E to be readily pressed between them and to clasp and hold the rods in position.

While my device is described and illustrated as a display-rack for mens hats, it is equally suitable for the display of hats worn by women and may be advantageously used for displaying samples of shoes and other goods.

I reserve to myself the right to make any mechanical changes in the construction of said device and in its manner of attachment to a trunk that does not involve inventive genius.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a salesmans trunk-attached displayrack the combination with a trunk of the pair adapted to be inserted in said grips and carried by a clasp horizontal with each other,

or at any angle desired, for the display of 5 sample hats or other goods, substantially as shown and set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES RICHMOND.

Witnesses:

R. L. MoOoNN, SPEIR RICHMOND. 

